5 brooches part 10- wearing mostly me-made!

As I put together this next set of brooch offerings, there will be some that you have seen before though not in these combinations or actually on a garment.

 I wore the tea-cup 2 weeks ago.But now it has a tea-pot to match, they clearly needed to be teamed up on a plain jumper!

 This Stegosaurus brooch is ridiculous!  I didn't actually make the stegosaurus- it is a felted fingerpuppet bought at Spitalfields that clearly needed to be made into a brooch! So I securely sewed a brooch back onto it and wore him in a rather unwieldy fashion!

 Today's brooch was a very tiny and subtle one. My owl tunic is bright enough not to need any accessories, but I felt the subtle sparkle of this quaver brooch was just the right touch of contrast. I've had this brooch for a very long time- possibly since I was around 18, it was a gift from my Godmother for Christmas.

 The disastrous popcorn brooch which I wrecked with a heat-tool received its debut on a pattened shirt to ensure it didn't need to be the star of the outfit!

A plain black top needed a plain white cat to finish it off! I made this one back in the summer but last wore it for TARDIS Tuesday for my Colin Baker outfit rather than 5 brooches.

Have you been making any brooches?
Check out some that Suzanne and Lucy sell in their Etsy shops! Ang received a lovely Acorn one at a church dinner

xxx

LAST CHANCE as the competition closes today!!!!!

PINK ALERT:

Are you bored of me yet???

I'm 90 behind the leader!! Getting closer, but only got  till the 1st December!!!

P.S.
In case, you missed it, I have entered Lady Vintage's Hall of Fame photo competition with my outfit and I would be SO grateful if you liked my outfit out of those who have entered enough to give it a like on Facebook.   If your husband, boyfriend, cat, dog or significant other felt so inclined to take a look too, (like a few have!), I would be very grateful!  (but working slowly towards second place) Waaaaah!!!!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.864013323713000.1073741877.144939495620390&type=1&l=8c4891a181

If you wanted to share the album too, I wouldn't be adverse to that!!!

A pause for Advent 2015: #1

I'm at my worst when I am tired.  I slept badly and woke up all bunged up and snotty simultaneously.  When I've slept badly, I will take everything personally, feel full of anxiety, irrational dismay and I will not respond well to criticism.  I will feel everything deeply and put up a defensive, prickly response to anything CBC says.

As I headed off to church this afternoon for the Advent carol service, I felt exhausted, miserable, irritated and ultimately furious at myself.

 All through the rehearsal, I sat there quietly, not having my usual banter with the other musicians.  P asked me if I was alright- he's used to the more ebullient and cheeky version of me.

As I sat there, playing, singing, and preparing, in that beautiful environment of decorated cheer, tended by so many hands, something within me thawed.

I even managed to muster a laugh as during O Holy Night, I pointed to the Coda in P's music as I sang the high note and carried on singing as he choked with laughter on his saxophone at my brazen pointing out that he kept forgetting it!

 Slowly, but slowly, as the service progressed and I heard that story I know so well, interpreted through word, acting, art, dance, song, music, humour and simple words, a newborn baby in her  mother's arms, walking round the church as we sang O Holy Night,  there was calmness again.

Jesus coming was a fresh start.

Advent, a time for beginning again, resetting all that is wrong or feels wrong.    Taking a pause, not always talking, but being part of it, playing a simple part.

And suddenly, the light is relit, it may be a tiny light, but it will grow and combine with all the other tiny lights to be a beautiful thing.

At the end of the service, P said, that I looked much better and I seemed much happier.

There will always be difficulties, pain and frustration, but there's always a second chance.

Leave all your frustations, pain and hurt at the the door.

Take a seat and listen.

Think and be there as you are.

And there you will find that all is well.

xxx

Linking with Ang for A Pause for Advent 2015

P.S.

PINK ALERT:

Are you bored of me yet???

I'm 90 behind the leader!! Getting closer, but only got  till the 1st December!!!

P.S.
In case, you missed it, I have entered Lady Vintage's Hall of Fame photo competition with my outfit and I would be SO grateful if you liked my outfit out of those who have entered enough to give it a like on Facebook.   If your husband, boyfriend, cat, dog or significant other felt so inclined to take a look too, (like a few have!), I would be very grateful!  (but working slowly towards second place) Waaaaah!!!!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.864013323713000.1073741877.144939495620390&type=1&l=8c4891a181

If you wanted to share the album too, I wouldn't be adverse to that!!!

While shepherds watched their flocks by night

I'm currently battling through my nativity script for school! I've used the same one for the past 2 years. Before that, I used one by another member of staff. Trying to make it a sort of 'correspondence' script so all the readers are reading written accounts by someone, e.g. Melchior's travel blog, Angel FM, Herod's top secret diary, letter from Mary to Elizabeth etc!  Getting that irritated, 'not quite right' but ahrgh!' feeling!  Need to just get on and do it, finish it, be done with it but starting to wonder if I am making a rod for my old back, trying to be too 'clever' or 'different' and should just give up! Either way, it is on the 17th December so I had better get those scripts out to children pronto!

I'm not feeling whole imaginative today- slightly grouchy, suggesting I should just go to bed!  I just spent ages notating a recorder duet of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' for two keen year 6 girls who wanted to play it when I should be doing numerous other things!

Hence, sharing another outfit post! Doesn't take too much thought and the photos were already sitting in a draft!

Various blog friends have talked about finding German vintage items in charity shops recently and this sheep at night jumper was yet another 'Bought with Sophie and Hazel' find back in May. It was only a pound on the Salvation Army sale rack in Ipswich so I saw its Christmas jumper potential immediately!  The label looks like a vintage one made in Germany (not sure if it said East or West without rummaging through the washing basket) 

I wore it on Saturday for a walk into town and cleaning, tidying, marking and  reading day. It worked  with fleecy leggings, sheepskin boots and the quintessential winter fabric- brushed cotton flannel tartan! And I adjusted the flower brooch on this hat I received for Christmas last year to try and release its inner cloche! It's not necessarily a 'stylish' outfit, but I think rather cute and comfy!

The garden is a total mess! I cannot believe how windy and rainy it has been. I looked out my spare room window and saw that all the felting on the shed roof is coming off and waving in the wind. Which means all my craft stuff is probably mouldering. And the drumkit...

Better get back to that script..

xxx

You know what I am going to say:

Ahem...

PINK ALERT:
P.S.
In case, you missed it, I have entered Lady Vintage's Hall of Fame photo competition with my outfit and I would be SO grateful if you liked my outfit out of those who have entered enough to give it a like on Facebook.   If your husband, boyfriend, cat, dog or significant other felt so inclined to take a look too, (like a few have!), I would be very grateful!  Especially as I am STILL 100 behind the leader (but working slowly towards second place) Waaaaah!!!!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.864013323713000.1073741877.144939495620390&type=1&l=8c4891a181

If you wanted to share the album too, I wouldn't be adverse to that!!!




Linking to Visible Mondays with lovely Patti!!! Also linking to Hat Attack with the lovely Judith!

A treasury: cakes, cats playing instruments, food, jumpers and Doctor Who!

Hello there!!! Hope all is well with you!

I thought I'd do a little summary of some random pictures and things that don't really make a post by themselves! A bit like one of those instagram sum-up thingies!

 Went to my niece's 6th birthday party! Lovely to see all, or most of my family altogether!  Here I was with my sister, looking lovely in polka dots, my beautiful niece, resplendent in white lacy flowers and me in er- THAT Miss Patina cat blouse and TARDIS blue tights and skirt!

It would be lovely to have a really nice picture of it up close so you could see the cats really nicely and the collar but that double chin business happened as usual! So I've cropped my chin out!!!

My Mum has created magic in cake-form again- here was K's Cinderella birthday cake!

 Let's have a look at that sparkly dress up close!

 She also made one that we could cut on this day as the Cinderella one was for her birthday party this weekend!

 There were also cupcakes galore! I also took home a big parcel of food which served as lunch for two days!

 My niece is learning the flute (she started this term) so it was nice to see her flute. I played for her which she really liked although I'm not sure everyone at the party appreciated my playing! ;-)
It was quite funny showing people how to blow it properly though as everyone wanted a go and I think I helped them to improve their tone, especially my brother-in-law! I played Star Wars themes for him!
Oh yes, she was given a Dorothy dress for her birthday by someone so that's why she changed!

 Onto other random things:  Wearing all the foxes! Had a break from brooches!

 Oh and CBC has a light-sabre app on his phone- it does the noises when you brandish it as- er, a lightsabre!

 I nipped into town after work and saw some pretty decorations already up in the shopping centre.
Does feel a bit like a Christmas wormhole with the bauble being sucked in!

 And here's the front view!

 I like the observatory-style roof!

 And a lower view!

 It's definitely become hat weather again- I cannot cope without one now! I decided that leopard looks a bit like dalmation!

 My favourite food in Indonesia was Tempeh so I was chuffed to buy a tin of tempeh curry in the health food shop. It was delicious! I added veg and rice.

 MMmm, tempeh...

 And made a really delicious vegetable pasta with chilli-flakes. CBC thinks I am now obsessed with chilli flakes (perhaps I am!)

 Oh and my Mum sent me some more cake pictures- I thought I'd show you three cool ones!
Who wants a ballpool cake!?!?!

 And here was my 3rd birthday party cake. Yes, er, that would be a bathroom with toilet.  Yes, I was a bit weird.  I had an obsession with toilets. I HAD to see the toilet in every house I visited and so my Mum made me a toilet cake complete with blue food dye in the loo!!!

 And for my crafty friends, how about wool balls in icing!?

 And there sits fair Rapunzel in her tower!

Ok, so here is the geeky Doctor Who bit where I say what I think about Doctor Who- feel free to skip onto the comments section if you please!
So... I think that Clara was the intended target all along.  When Ashilda first greeted her in the episode, she said, "You are as beautiful as all your photos!"- what photos?  Who took these? Certainly no one in the episode she met Clara in.  I can't help but think that it was intended that she sacrifice herself.

The fact that they kept saying, "Don't run, they always run!" about those who face the Raven and Clara didn't run seems significant. I think that the irrepressible Missy, AKA the Master will have something to do with all this and will be in the finale- I think she arranged it all- she hated Clara and also, in the Series 9 trailer, there is a scene where Missy opens her eyes slowly looking like she is staring at something in an amazed fashion which I am almost certain we haven't seen yet in the episodes she was in (you can see it in the trailer at 0:45) so she will turn up in the finale.

I know Clara will turn up in the finale- but I'm actually not sure if that is the REAL Clara or it is one of the Clara splinters and she'll end by telling him, "Run you clever boy and remember...."

As for the Lady Vintage Competition-   I somehow feel it is a bit impossible for me to win it now, I've got 174 likes which is amazing but sadly the pretty Flamingo girl has 289 likes- ahrgh!! But good for her!
I'll include a little plug for it again just in case though!
PINK ALERT:
P.S.
In case, you missed it, I have entered Lady Vintage's Hall of Fame photo competition with my outfit and I would be SO grateful if you liked my outfit out of those who have entered enough to give it a like on Facebook.   If your husband, boyfriend, cat, dog or significant other felt so inclined to take a look too, (like a few have!), I would be very grateful!  Especially as I am now 100 behind the leader!!! Waaaaah!!!!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.864013323713000.1073741877.144939495620390&type=1&l=8c4891a181

If you wanted to share the album too, I wouldn't be adverse to that!!!




What's happening with you then?
xxx P.S. Linking to Passion for Fashion with Rachel the hat Linking to Creative Mondays with lovely Claire Justine and Visible Mondays with wonderful Patti! I will wear what I like with Catherine at Not dressed as lamb And finally,the brilliant Passion for Fashion on Friday with Rachel the Hat

5 brooches part 9

Today, I am posting brooches from a weeks ago or so.  I like this set, they are a real mixed bag or quirk and simplicity

This jewelled tortoise came from acharity-shop of course! He's quite heavy but I like the fact he is quite true to colour BUT sparkly!

CBC bought me this large cherry brooch from Vivienne of Holloway around about 6 years ago after we first started going out.  He went there to pick me up a gift voucher and then bought this as a treat! I like its over the top quality but you have to be careful how you hang it as last time it was somehow perched inapproriately! This time, I thought it went perfectly with this Topshop charity-shopped cropped jacket!

Cunningly worn in conjunction on a Thursday, this recorder brooch and drum brooch signalled that I had Recorder Club AND drumming club at school! The kids in both of those got it instantly! Ha! The recorder is a really old one I've had since I was 11,so it is well over 23 years old! The drum came from Hexham Vintage Emporium.

Here are my Ladybird like owl collar clips again but this time, I decided to wear them as cardigan-clips which worked much better as they looked less inebriated than last week's collar adventure!

Last, but not least, here is the Jammy Dodger Brooch I bought at the Steamunk Essexextraordinaire last week.  It is VERY heavy!

Any favourites here? Bought any recently? Do share!

xx

P.S.
In case, you missed it, I have entered Lady Vintage's Hall of Fame photo competition with my outfit and I would be SO grateful if you liked my outfit out of those who have entered enough to give it a like on Facebook.   If your husband, boyfriend, cat, dog or significant other felt so inclined to take a look too, (like a few have!), I would be very grateful!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.864013323713000.1073741877.144939495620390&type=1&l=8c4891a181

PIzza Base Giant snowflakes begin their 'rain' of terror!

As usual,here's my waffly preamble to the main point. Ignore as you please or read along!

I had my first teaching observation of the year today. We get them every term.  It doesn't matter how many times you are observed, there are so many unknowns with teaching children- rain, wind, problems at home, arguments and conflict from lunchtime/playtime in the playground, you never know how they will react.  Luckily for me, I have my darling year 6 class who I have been observed with once every year since year 2- they even cheer now when I tell them they are going to be observed because they know they impress people.  They've had a consistent record of making Outstanding progress and that has SO much to do with their own motivation and skills rather than my teaching.  Today was no exception- they are so motivated in music and they worked hard, thought hard and did really well, thus making 'outstanding progress'.  Phew!  They do know they are my favourite class though- which I think helps as they want to please me! It makes me really sad that they will leave at the end of this year because I have already taught them for 7 years and it will be 8 years at the end of this year- that's probably longer than any other teacher in their life will consistently teach them for.  I've taught them for almost a quarter of my OWN life!! That's a bit scary!!!!

So, I like to recycle things to make art.  I've despaired over what to do with those polystyrene Pizza bases for years- I have one idea which I haven't tried yet. This week, as we had bought 3 pizzas, we had three bases and I decided that I would like to put some giant snowflakes up, hanging from the ceiling in the music room.

So...
1. Find pizza bases
2.  Fetch craft/stanley knife, metal ruler and cutting mat.
3.  Draw a dot in the centre and draw 6 equally-spaced lines radiating from the centre.  Then draw snowflake shapes around these.
4.  Cut around these using a craft knife and ruler.

I should warn you, the polystyrene did NOT take kindly to being cut and flaked off unevenly where I cut. I almost gave up.CBC laughed and said to bin it when he heard me whinging from the kitchen but when he came out, he said,"No, keep going, it looks good all flaky, like snow really is!"

So I did.

 And here is the finished article!

 Not so bad from a distance.

 Slightly ropey up close....

 But when I hang them from the music room ceiling, I am sure that they will be great!

Linking to Creative Mondays with Claire Justine and Brilliant Blogposts with Honest Mum.

P.S.
Shameless plug for my Lady V London Hall of Fame entry.
In case, you missed it, I have entered Lady Vintage's Hall of Fame photo competition with my outfit and I would be SO grateful if you liked my outfit out of those who have entered enough to give it a like on Facebook.   If your husband, boyfriend, cat, dog or significant other felt so inclined to take a look too, (like a few have!), I would be very grateful!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.864013323713000.1073741877.144939495620390&type=1&l=8c4891a181

I'm up to 151 likes BUT the lady who is in the lead is always ahead of me by 30 at least!!!  She deserves to win as she looks beautiful, I doubt I can win, but it's worth a try to keep going trying to add the odd vote or two from you and others! Thank you so far for your help! I really appreciate it and I don't deserve your kindness!